Hynix plant buyer: 'The Eugene site is an attractive option for expansion'

EUGENE, Ore. - A publicly traded company headquartered in San Jose, Calif., and with Oregon roots said it has purchased the former Hynix Semicondcutor plant in Eugene for use manfacturing components used in mobile phones.

Avago Technologies (NASDAQ: AVGO) said it won the bid to purchase the former Hynix facility.

The company said the plant will be used by its Wireless Semiconductor Division. The Eugene plant will be the second production site for the division, which uses a manufacturing site in Fort Collins, Colorado, for its current in-house production.

"The Eugene site is an attractive option for expansion," Stan Strathman, vice president of operations for the Wireless Semiconductor Division," said in a press release. "The Hynix facility is well suited to our manufacturing needs, while the Eugene location provides access to a strong labor base and an established infrastructure supporting high-tech manufacturing."

The company said it traces its origins to Hewlett-Packard in Corvallis, when manufacturing was co-located there and in Fort Collins.

"A number of our employees moved from Corvallis to Fort Collins and share an affinity for the Northwest and the Willamette Valley," said Strathman.

Avago Technologies expects the purchase of the Hynix site to close later this month.

Design work will begin in 2016 to retrofit the facility to meet Avago's needs with construction anticipated to begin in 2017.

Avago said anticipates hiring from Eugene and the surrounding area to fill many new positions which will include engineers, skilled technicians, operators, administrative and management.

"We are looking forward to becoming part of the Eugene community," said Strathman.

The property sold for an estimated $20 million. The plant cost $250 million to build in 1995.